Paver Patios

Patio Considerations

In Kansas City, a patio adds a living area outdoors. When a patio is designed and constructed well, the patio space feels like an extension of the home. It’s important to work with the architectural or design features of the home, whether inside or out. An example of this is using a similar product on the patio as what might be inside the home on the kitchen floor, or backsplash. At the very least, colors of products used for patios can coordinate with colors on the exterior of the home. Another example of coordinating a patio with an existing home is using some of the architectural features of the home to drive the patio design. Let’s say an existing home is very linear, possibly a ranch or longer back exposure of the home. It might be difficult to coordinate a curved patio with this type of layout, whereas a rectilinear patio would seem to fit more often.

Design

A Kansas City patio design is typically kidney, or rectangular in shape, however free-form shapes also are used in some cases, usually when the setting is in a natural space, which happens in Kansas City patio construction more than one might think. Kansas City patios along the Ward Parkway corridor, Mission Hills, and in the Plaza area are often times constructed with a natural stone because so much natural stone exists on the homes. In these areas, bluestone patios are constructed frequently. Bluestone is a classic, timeless stone, used on the East Coast dating back over 200 years. The most common application of bluestone in a Kansas City patio in these areas is called an Ashlar Slate pattern, consisting of 5-6 different sizes of squares and rectangles laid in a random pattern. In some cases, the pattern repeats, based on the job requirements. In addition to bluestone, large earth-tone flagstone is used. The natural, irregularly shaped pieces of flagstone consist mainly of warm tones, which coordinate with many of the older homes in these areas. On these Kansas City patios, the colors of the flagstone ties in with some of the pieces of natural limestone on the existing home. Natural, irregular flagstone does also come in gray tones. Outside of these areas, the variance in home design and material usage usually drives the patio design. Many times, pavers are used in these areas. Pavers are generally more affordable and require less long term maintenance than some natural stone. Pavers come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and colors, which make it easier to coordinate the patio with the home design. Paver patios can also be constructed by overlaying an existing concrete area with pavers as long as the underlying concrete is sound. Other options exist for patios in Kansas City. Stamped concrete and colored/stained concrete is also used frequently on patios. Stamped concrete is less expensive than natural stone and pavers, and when designed and constructed well, can look wonderful. However, a heavy sealant must be used on the stamped concrete each year in order to retain the color and finish. The sealants can be very slick. Colored concrete can be used on patios in Kansas City. The color can be added into the concrete for new patios or it can be applied after the patio has been constructed. In some cases, color/stain can be added to existing patios as long as the existing patio is clean and does not have a sealant on the surface. Combining natural stone with a colored concrete patio can have a stunning effect and combines beauty with affordability when constructing a Kansas City patio.